01x09 - Digging Up the Past

[bunniefuu]

What's the story, Wishbone?What's

this you're dreaming of?Such a

big imagination on

such a little pup.

What's the story, Wishbone?Do you

think it's worth the look?It

kind of seems familiar, like a

story from a book.

Shake a leg now, Wishbone. Let's

wag another tail

Sniffing on adventure With

Wishbone on the trail Come on,

Wishbone

What's the story, Wishbone?

What's the story, Wishbone?

What's the story, Wishbone?

What's the story, Wishbone?Oh,

chase cats.

Oh, hey.

Hello, trying to sleep.

Here you go, Wishbone. No, thanks.

Sleepy, not thirsty. Now, if you

two will kindly excuse me, I believe I

hear a chair calling my name.

I have to go into work for a while, Joe.

Did you make any plans for today?Not yet.

Sam was talking about a street hockey

game down by the park. Oh. Well, just

make sure you straighten your room before

you leave the house. Mom, it's

Saturday. Can I do it tomorrow?Well, what

about your social studies paper?Isn't it

due Monday?Yeah, I guess so. Well,

when are you gonna do that?Tomorrow.

Joe, you can't put everything off until

tomorrow. Have you even started the paper?

No. What's the subject?We're

supposed to write about something our

grandparents had that we wish was still

around today. Oh. Did you pick a topic?

No. Well, what about this?They're closing

the old Hobrock plant.

Nah, it's supposed to be something that

we wish was still around. So,

you got any better ideas?

No, not really. I can't think of

anything. Oh, there's

my backpack.

Excuse me, wishbone. Excuse me, did I

leave a wake-up call?Hey, after you've

straightened up your room, why don't you

come down to the library and do some

research?I love you.

I'll see you later. Bye. Hey, want

to help me clean up?Watch you

work or sleep?Let me do some deep

thinking about this. Nope. I thought

about it. I choose the nap. Wake me when

you're finished. Give me a dog's life any

day. A

dog's life indeed. Oh,

lovely. Nothing like a good nap. The

kind of nap old Rip Van Winkle used to

take. Rip originated the power nap

and remains the patron St. of slaggards

everywhere. Rip Van

Winkle was written in 1819 by Washington

Irving, one of America's first great

authors. Rip Van Winkle

lived in colonial America just before the

Revolutionary w*r. He was a simple,

good-natured man, loved by everyone in

town. He'd sometimes help the ladies with

odd jobs that their husbands ignored.

Thank you for fixing the door, Rip. It's

long needed attention. Rip made toys for

the children and taught them to fly kites

and sh**t marbles. They were always

delighted with his stories and playful

antics. Nary a dog

would bark at him. And he

loved sharing hours of sleepy

conversation with friends at the King

George Inn. We've not seen the

likes of this since the days of Peter

Stuyvesant. What think you, Rip Van

Winkle?But Rip most

enjoyed avoiding the chores that Dame Van

Winkle had planned for him by escaping to

hunt in nearby mountains. The

Catskills. Poorly named.

Cats do not have skills. Cat Van

Winkle! Did you hear that?

Whoa.

HmmStrange looking fellow. Let me

see. Clothes are a tad out of

style. Big beard,

bushy eyebrows, heavy set. Nope,

nobody I know. Should I be scared?

So, need a little help lugging the old

refreshments up to a party, huhWell, it

just so happens that I have some time on

my, well, hands. Lead on.

I was actually going to take the small

one, but OK. So what's your

name?Hey, uh,

where are we going?

Hey, uh, what's in the keg?

Do you think I ask too many questions?

Have you always been this talkative?

Wow, hear that?Sounds like rain.

Great. I've had more satisfying

conversations with a fire hydrant.

Well, stranger, I was glad to help out,

but I really need to-- whoa, whoa, whoa!

Hey, that wasn't Thunder I heard. It was

the sound of bowling ba*ls.

Hey, this is great. Must be league night.

OK, I'll stick around for one game, but

then I... Was it something I said?

Guys?Gentlemen?

HuhHuhWhat's that?

Let's go, Wishbone. You bet. Go where?

Ooh, sunshine and a bench. Looks like I

might have my nap after all. Oh! I'm

assuming that was an accident.

Now wait here. I won't be long. Never

fear. While I'm on guard, the perimeter

is secure.

Well, I bet you're waiting on somebody

now, aren't you?Have we met, madam?You

know, I had a little fella who'd wait for

me when I was a young girl. Little fella?

He'd sit out here just as long as it took

for me to find just the right boat. What

a nice lady.

Well... Enjoy your trip to the library,

ma'am.

Good morning. Can I help you?Thank you.

No. I just stopped in to see the library.

I wanted to see if it had changed as much

as everything else in this town has.

Hard to believe. This is where I used to

come every Saturday. Oh, how long ago was

that?Goodness. Must have been over



Oakdale 40 years ago to practice medicine

in Chicago. I thought it was high time I

revisited my roots. Well, welcome back,

and feel free to look around as long as

you like. Doctor Brown. Thelma

Brown. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr.

Brown. I'm Ellen Talbot, and I hope your

visit's very special. Thank you, Ellen.

I'm sure it will be.

I'm guessing that's your dog out by the

front door. Yes, ma'am. Looks

like a keeper. Sure is.

Cat scouts. All right,

boys, watch and learn.

Another strike. Hey, loosen up,

guys. You look like you've been rolling

gutter ba*ls all afternoon.

What's the matter?Catskills got your

tongue?

Tough crowd. OK then, drinks for

everybody. Come on over.

Step right up, gentlemen. No need to be

shy. There's plenty to go around.

This stuff looks good. I think I'll

sample a wee bit of this strange brew

myself.

Mmm! Tasty! I like it!

Got to remember to get the recipe before

I go home. Well, enough of this, let's

get back to the game. All right, we got--

whoa! Hey, all of a sudden I feel

strange, really... sleepy.

And so, Rip fell fast to sleep.

Dr. Brown, what a pleasant surprise.

It certainly is, Ellen, more surprising

than you know. Oh?Finally.

Something in this town that hasn't

changed much. I grew up in

this very house.

So you remember the Gilmore family?Oh, I

remember the Gilmore as well. You say

Wanda still lives there?

Mm-hmmLast time I saw her, she was just a

little toddler. You know, we'll have to

call her over to visit before you leave.

You know, Joe. Seeing Wishbone at the

library this morning reminded me of my

old dog, Champion. Well, it's unlikely

he was quite as handsome, but now I know

who buried those prehistoric soup bones

in the backyard. Cream or sugar?Little

sugar, please. I suppose

Oakdale's changed quite a bit in 40

years. Everything's different.

Well, I hardly recognize anything

downtown, but this house.

It's like it was frozen in time.

Oh, I was so glad to see the green trim

outside. Just like

it looked when my parents moved in.

And this is the dining room, lots of

space, beautiful living area, and the

study's in here.

Did your folks build the house?Yes.

I believe it was built



My father was the architect and he

designed everything, even the stained

glass windows. Oh, I love those. And

this is the chair. This

is my favorite room. Me too.

I used to curl up in the big chair and

just read and daydream and

imagine that I was the hero in

each of those wonderful books. I like

this woman's style the moment I laid eyes

on her. Ellen, do

you think I could go upstairs and look at

my old room?Of course. And I

bet I know exactly which one it was.

Right this way. As we walk up the stairs,

please notice the fine wood paneling,

left and right. All original, I might

add. And this is the bedroom. Joe, dirty

clothes. Pick them up. Thank you. I

might have known you'd have my old room,

Joe. So what do you think?Pretty

cozy, isn't it?Yeah, I like it a lot.

I like what you've done with the place.

Have you found the secret hiding place?

Secret hiding place?Secret hiding

place?Unless they've

fixed it, that board comes out.

I used to hide all my treasures there,

especially the ones I didn't want my

brother Robert to find. Go ahead, check

it out. This one?

Oh, that secret hiding place.

You know, I knew this was here all along.

I just wanted you to find it for

yourself. This one's stuck.

Uh, here comes. Ah,

treasure. Looks dangerous. You go

first. There doesn't seem to be anything

in there. I may have cleaned it out long

ago. Hello. Wait a minute.

I smell something. Oh, excuse me. I

think I feel something.

Wow! It's a... It's a a

something.

A marble and a ball bearing?

The one with the swirls is a lovely

glassy, and this is my

prize steely sh**ter.

Cool.

Marbles were our video games, Joe.

Just like today. We had to sh**t

straight, but we got to keep everything

we hit. I won

hundreds of marbles with this little gem.

Life wasn't any less exciting back then,

Joe, just different. Looking at

those marbles makes me think of something

I hadn't thought of in years. What's that?

A time capsule. I

wonder if it's still there. What time

capsule?Oh,

goodness, that must have been about





Robert and I put everything in a little

metal box and buried it

between two trees out front.

What'd you put in it?Just little things

we had around the house. I don't remember

anything in particular.

Might be fun to see what I really did put

in that box. Well, let's

find it. Hello. I'm up for a treasure

hunt. Buried treasure. You're going to

need someone who can dig. Let me see. Who

can I think of?Oh, me. Might

be hard. The trees are different now.

It's been too long. She probably feels a

little lost. How could we help her?

Hey, maybe Wishbone can help. I

don't know. A lot of years have passed,

Joe. Years pass. That's what happened to

Rip Van Winkle. He took a nap for 20

years. Huh

What?Huh

Where am I?Oh,

my head.

Did I sleep in the mountains all night?

Oh boy. I'm in Dame Van Winkle's

doghouse now. Where is

everybody?Hello.

HelloGuess the bowling teams left.

They didn't even leave a trophy.

Worse, they stole my r*fle and left this

worm-eaten rusty excuse for a firearm.

Oh boy. Guess I better get back to

town. What am I going to tell Dame Van

Winkle?

So Rip Van Winkle returned to town,

but the place had a strangely different

look to it. OK,

everyone, you can stop worrying. I'mback.

It's funny. I don't recognize any of

these people. Old man's

got a funny beard. Old man's got a funny

beard. Beard. I don't have a beard.

My face is a little scratchy.

You stop that. What is going on

around here?I know.

Everybody's probably over at the King

George Inn.

Remember Bunker Hill, the heroes

of 76, the freedoms we have

won. What's all this then?Elect me

to Congress. And I will preserve the

liberties that this flag stands for.

Whose flag is that?

Here now, friend. Why do you carry a

r*fle on Election Day?

Election Day?Yes. Are you a

federal or Democrat?Neither. I'm a

poor fellow from this town and a loyal

subject of King George III.

Oops. Wrong answer. He's a Tory, a

spy, traitor! Away with this refugee!

Hang him! Quiet, quiet!

Silence, I say! Sir,

you say that you are a native of this

town. Whom

do you know?Well...

Nicholas Feder will speak for me. Feder

died 18 years ago. Then Van

Brummel the schoolmaster. He was a

general in the w*r and now sits in

Congress. Oh, come, come

Everyone in this town must know me. I'm

Rip Van Winkle. Can this be

happening?Last night I slept in the

mountains, and today my brain is addled.

Everything is changed.

Have I gone crazy?

The yard seems changed. There are

more trees now.

This paved circle wasn't here when I was

a girl. That house wasn't

built either. I simply can't

remember which two trees the box is

buried between. Maybe they cut

them down years ago. David's got an

idea, Dr. Brown. Good.

Oh, these are my friends, David and

Samantha. Pleased to meet you. Hi.

This shouldn't take long.

Look, found it already. I don't think so.

I happen to know there's a perfectly good

chew bone buried there. Are you sure?

Look, the signal is definitely Mattel.

Hey, my locker

key. Thanks for finding it for me.

Yeah, these two trees don't look old

enough. Hey,

maybe which one's onto something?Those

tea trees look old enough.

Now, you're welcome to look, but I've

already checked out the area. I said

I've already checked out the area.

Oh, David. Nothing. What'd I tell you?

Everything's different. Well, we could

try a subterranean sonar. Try what?

Subterranean sonar. I could bring a

device that would send high-pitched sound

waves into the ground. With the right

monitoring gear, you'd be able to see the

relative size and shape of any buried

object. You could make something like

that. Sure, I think so.

There's got to be an easier way. Yeah,

preferably something that doesn't involve

high-pitched sounds.

Hey, wait a minute. Joe, you

better get Wishbone. Wishbone!

Excuse me, Wanda?Joe, what's he doing?

I don't know. Wishbone, what are you

doing?Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom

of this. Helen, he's up to something.

Yes, I know. I'm coming. Your canine

rototiller is destroying my lawn again.

Today on Digging Up Your Neighbor's Yard,

I'm going to show you how to unearth rare

and precious objects. My lovely

assistant, Wanda, has graciously allowed

us to use her yard. Oh, it's here. I know

it's here. I know it's here. It's bingo!

Is this it?It's a little piece of the

past, Joe. Wanda, thanks for

letting us dig up your yard. Oh, well...

I guess it served a higher purpose. This

box is in pretty good shape. Well, my

brother dipped the whole thing in

paraffin to make it more waterproof.

You do the honors, Dr. Brown.

There's the marbles, Joe.

Oh, and there's a picture of me and

Champ. Champ, where?Let me see. Let

me see. Ah, he's a

handsome devil. He shares my noble

bearing. What is this?

Oh, probably from the day that we buried

the box. What was going on then?

Hey, Mom, it's the Hope Rock plant. Oh,

that was a big day in this town. Well,

you know, they're closing it this month.

EPA violations. Oh, what a shame.

A lot of our friends worked at thatplant.

So many stories in this box.

Hmm, stories. A story from the past

is all Rip Van Winkle had.

Good people of this town, I beg you, I

implore you to hear my tale. After

bowling with these strange men, I

took a drink. I fell asleep,

and here I am today.

Quiet, Rip. This old man won't hurt

you. Rip?You called your baby Rip?

What is your name, good woman?Judith

Gardnier. And your father's name?

Rip Van Winkle. He went into the

mountains 20 years ago and never came

back. I was a little girl then.

Judith, where is your mother?She died

not long ago. Judith,

I am your father. I'm Rip Van Winkle.

Peter, I say Peter Van Der Donk.

You're the town historian. Do you

recognize this man?Well,

let's see. It's,

uh.. Oh, my goodness. It's

Rip Van Winkle.

And have you heard tales of strange men

bowling in the mountains?Well,

yes. Legend has it

the ghost of the old explorer Hendrick

Hudson and his men come back every 20

years to look down on the river and play

nine pins. You are my

father. Well, it's

different, but it's home.

Have I ever told you the story of the

time I played Nine Pins with the

ghosts of Hendrick Hudson and his men?

Yes, but tell it again. Well, OK.

While on one of my daily sojourns up into

the Catskills, I happened to hear a

strange voice calling out. Rip

Van Winkle. Scary, huhI'll do it

again. Rip Van Winkle.

Just gives me shivers. It was the most

incredible thing. You should have been

there.

Oh. Here's an old program from an Oakdale

Oaks baseball game. Oakdale had a

baseball team?Of course. And

every Friday night, my father would take

us to the baseball game over at Degen

Field. I wish we had a baseball game

to go to every Friday night. Yeah, me

too. Joe, there's your paper.

Does that mean I have to go back to the

library?Library?Uh-oh. Time for a nap.

Excuse me. Pardon me. Coming through. No,

you've got your source right here. You

can interview Dr. Brown. Can I?That

would be the highlight of my visit.

Ah, let's see. What would be the worst

thing about sleeping for 20 years?Huh

Couldn't eat. Couldn't chase cats. Ooh,

couldn't dig up Wanda's yard. Nope, 20

minutes should be just fine.

It was not a typical night at the Lanes.

Washington Irving wrote that Rip felt a

vague apprehension stealing over him. No

kidding. He was surrounded by ghosts. How

did we make our ghosts seem so ghost-like?

Aha! The post-production sound

department. They and the camera crew

created that odd feeling described by

Washington Irving. For Rip Van Winkle, we

recorded some of our effects for the

slow-mo scene, such as the birds. At

twice their normal speed, which is 30

inches per second. We then played them

back at 15 inches per second, making them

sound like they're half as fast as they

originally were. Now I'm on top of sound

creepy. That's enough to turn any dog's

beard white.